Python subprocess: interacting with a shell script

Question

I have a shell script which asks the user for too many questions.

I want to answer every question that ends with : with a enter, and every question that ends with a ? with yenter.

e.g.,

Enter your name:
enter

Enter your email:
enter

...

Are you sure these details are correct?
yenter

I have started the subprocess with:

subprocess.Popen(shell=True, stdout=sp.PIPE, stderr=sp.STDOUT, stdin=sp.PIPE)

How do I poll over the script's output, waiting for the question to appear?

James Youngman · Accepted Answer · 2012-03-04 14:10:46Z

5

Try something like this (I have not tested it):

import pexpect

child = pexpect.spawn('yourprogram')
while True:
  found = child.expect ([r':$', r'\?$', pexpect.EOF])
  if found == 0:
    child.send('\n')
  elif found == 1:
    child.send('y\n')
  else:  # EOF
     return

answered Mar 4, 2012 at 14:10

James Youngman

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2 Comments

Adam Matan Over a year ago

+1 for pexpect which I didn't know. It seems like a very useful approach - I will try to make it work.

jfs Over a year ago

pexpect.run('yourprogram', events={r':$': '\n', r'\?$': 'y\n'})

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